Lincoln Wheelers Boxing Day TT

This Xmas has been excellent and as part of the celebrations I've not exactly been backwards in coming forwards with the old food which meant that I felt bloated but also rather glad to be able to get out of the house and do some exercise today - the exercise coming in the shape of the annual Wheelers Boxing Day TT.

Last year I did this event as my very first time trial and managed a time of 21.41 - this year I wanted to go faster than that so I was taking this event seriously - so seriously in fact that I was taking my bottle holder off the bike at 8am this morning to make the bike like 'all aero' !!

Met up with mates from Wheelers and from the Tri Club, then we rode out to the start which was a layby in the middle of nowhere. I was competitor no.10 which meant that I had to wait ten minutes as riders were set off at minute intervals by the starter. My time came around and before I knew it I was thundering up the road.

I rode the first third of the course steadily trying not to peak to soon ! By the time I turned the first left towards Laughterton (and into the wind) I felt reasonably OK but still fancied keeping a little back for a monster push on a wind assisted back straight where I was sure that I would be topping speeds of 27mph.

Bugger ! I turned onto the last section expected a back wind and got a cross wind again which was neither use nor ornament. I buried myself though and picked the average speed up to cross the line in 20.13 and good enough for a fortuitous 3rd place on the day ! I'll be back on New Years Day for a second go and on todays evidence should be looking at sneaking under 20 minutes !

PUMA Stockport 10 2012

Well the pressure was surely on today. I needed to complete todays ten mile road race in Stockport to remain in the UK Netrunner Grand Prix Group One for next year having not completed a half marathon or ten miler due to injury. Added to this that I'm only 10k fit at the moment and nursing the old sore calf things were looking a little borderline.

Last year in cold, wet and miserable conditions I managed to set a benchmark of 1.19, but this year the job was all about completion and maybe sneaking in under 1.30 to be cheeky.

As I travelled over the Woodhead Pass to Stockport it was bucketing it down and I thought that the race would one again be a soggy affair, but once I arrived at Woodbank Stadium, this had cleared up a bit and I was afforded the luxury of doing a warm up lap of the track in the dry ! I dropped off my baggage (double bin bagged) and made my way to the start, having learnt my lesson from last year and indeed last week and started much nearer the front and away from the very inside of the track. The John Motson soundalike was doing a great job on the mike revving up the atmosphere, and at a little over 10am a rocket soared through the air and when it exploded the race started !

1000 people, two initial laps of the track and the theme from Benny Hill playing - classic !

The route takes the runners through the streets of suburban Stockport and is testing with two large climbs, a couple of slower ascents and some lightening quick descents. By the time I had knocked off my two laps and the first couple of miles my watched showed me comfortably settled into about an 8.20 miling pace. The heavens briefly opened but to be fair I didn't care too much as I was going well and enjoying the early stages of the race.

The first slow ascent is a winding affair which results in a very slippery and awkward decent where at least one runner ruined their lovely bright yellow top by having a roll in the mud after slipping. With this section negotiated it was time to get some breath back, have a gulp of water and make our way to the hardest climb of the day which keeps going up and up and when you think you've cracked it you turn a corner and see that you have to do some more ! I was beat by the top because I attacked the hill but was able to recover on the very long downhill. This was my slowest mile of the day at 9.01, but once I'd completed a further mile of downhill then the mile time tumbled back toward the 8.15 mark.

There is a further hill at 8.5 miles, but by this time I was fairly confident of completion and again attacked the hill - in hindsight maybe should have taken it easier, because the last mile was really tough and I struggled after reaching the summit.  Back into the stadium then and a lap of the track to finish in 1.23.34 ( nearly 4 minutes outside last years time, but happy to complete and stay in League One ! ).


A successful day topped off by an excellent Ronhill event shirt and the ever random goody bag which contained dried maggotts, heating advice, an oxo cube and a radiator key amongst other gubbins !

Percy Pud 10km 2012

On Thursday evening during a 10km training run with Lincoln Wellington road runners, I pulled up at 5 miles having felt a sharp cramping pain at the top of my left calf. We had just climbed Lincoln Steep Hill and I guess the cramping that I'd had the night before at swimming must have just spread to other muscles. With that in mind, and not sure how much damage I had done, I turned up at this mornings Percy Pud road race with a different strategy to my normal PB chasing one - take my time, get through the race without injuring myself further and just well bloody enjoy it !

Dressed all in black like some lycra clad Ninja, I arrived at Loxley, just outside Sheffield at 8.45 so that we could park our car up the normal hill and then make our way down to the portaloos and start !
This year we had the added bonus of clear,crisp (but icy) weather whereas the previous two years have been miserable wet affairs. This meant that I was able to have a good warm up as I made my way down to the start with Heidi.

I positioned myself further back in the field than usual as I planned to run a 55 minute race and found myself next to a bloke in a Xmas pudding outfit. I thought to myself rather you than me mate - that looks like heavy work ! And with that, at 9.30 the klaxon suddenly went off and heads further up the field started bobbing up and down and we were underway.

Bearing in mind the calf problem, I started the race very gingerly and took the first undulating mile very steadily. Mind you, to be fair there was nowt else that I could do as it was fairly congested, with plenty of folk running in pairs and groups who were slower than the field around them creating bottlenecks ! First mile then in 9.07 and everything seems OK. Mile 2 thinned out a bit as the early race giddiness subsided and the field began to string out a bit more. We were heading across a dam and skirting the side of Damflask Reservoir and because of the slower pace and bright day, I found myself taking in my surroundings and the beauty that is the South Yorkshire countryside-  it really was stunning ! This second mile came and went in 8.40 something and I found myself gradually increasing the pace as we headed for the turnaround in Lower Bradfield and mile three. The third mile was pretty swift going into Bradfield and the Garmin showed 8-18 to support this.

With the first half of the race over and the furthest point reached in 27 minutes, I felt a little more confident to run a little quicker during the second half. I didn't want to push things too far but wanted to see how it went. I stopped very briefly for some ice water, and then set about picking a few people off as we made our way back. The fourth mile was over in around 8 minutes and I was really enjoying it ! By the end of he fifth mile my pace was down in the sevens and I found myself in the surreal situation of being in the middle of a Santa and Xmas pudding sandwich - so the race to the line was on. I was given a reminder about the calf with a twitch at this point and played it safe - however myself and Santa pulled away from the pud to set up a fast last mile where I can tell you that Santa was just a little too good for me as I came home just behind him in 52.08 - my slowest 10k for around 2 years but also my most enjoyable !


Next up for me is the Stockport 10 next weekend where the same sensible strategy will be in play....

Rushcliffe Parkrun

Today is my 40th Birthday and I decided to spend it doing the things that I love....

- Shopping at Decathlon
- Eating Meatballs @ IKEA
- Running races !!!!!!!!

So it was an excited Andy that made my way early to Rushcliffe Country Park to take part in my 4th ever Parkrun event, my first run race since March, and my first comeback race following the calf injury.

Normally I would have dropped in on Colwick and done their event but instead had heard about a new Parkrun being set up in the Nottingham area and decided to give it a go.

I didn't know how it was going to go as I lined up because I've not done any speed work for a good few months and decided that this would just be a tester race to see how I went. When we got sent on our way I soon settled into my usual uncomfortable 5k pace and fell into about 20th place or so. There looked to be a few hares tear-arsing into the distance, but I kept at my own level and hoped that by the time the first mile flashed up on my Garmin that it wouldn't be embarrassingly slow !

6.50 is what the watch read which is there or thereabouts for me at this distance so I was happy. I was not happy about how knackered I already felt and at the end of the first loop my brain was telling me to stop. I didn't though (not for the want of trying) and soon found myself clocking a 2nd mile at 7.05 pace. With just one mile left to do I was hanging on for dear life but within my PB if only I could keep going.

It was a tough ask, but the reward was evident as I crossed the finishing line with a shiny new PB of 22.24 on my 40th birthday........ not bad for an old boy eh >

Evans Ride-It Nottingham

Seems like an eternity since I last sat down and blogged a race/event report - but following holidays and the injury, this morning I finally got my ass into gear and took part in my first event since August - the Evans Ride-It Nottingham 70 mile Sportive.....

Boy, I've missed those mega early alarm calls on an eventing Sunday morning, so it was with great joy that I was rudely awaken by a 5am alarm this morning !! One bowl of race day porridge later and I was ready to make the one hour trip over to Church Warsop nr Mansfield for the event. I arrived far too early, but not too early as to bag a lot of free High 5 zero, which cancelled out my £12.50 entry fee - bargain !!

When the time came for the event to start, I somehow found myself right toward the very front and was one of the first away. Immediately, I felt the cold air temperature, and suffered from face freeze for the first couple of miles before acclimatising. something very strange happened at mile 3 - I found myself right at the very front of the field and leader of the Sportive on the road ! This, however didn't seem to last for long as there was a rider who blew straight through the field and out of the front. from that point on I settled into a group of four riders riding in second place on the road - quicker than my usual riding pace and hard work but manageable just !  Up and down we went through the rolling countryside, and whilst there were no long climbs as such, there were frequent inclines which started to take its toll on my legs.

After about 55 miles of this, I was really on the edge of being frazzled, and was pleased to see a feed station so I stopped for some cake and to have the pee that I had needed since about mile 10 !

The last 14 miles or so were really hard work and I dropped off the group that I had been riding with and rode most of the last part through Clumber Park on my own. I had a target of beating four hours in mind and that kept me motivated even though I was completely knackered !
I missed that four hour target by about a minute or two, but was just happy to be finished and back at the HQ for a bowl of warm chilli and a coffee.

Whilst finishing my meal, I was joined by the lads that I had been riding with and they told me that the earlier chap had in fact ridden the medium route, so therefore our group had been leading the Sportive ! (Not that it is a race of course - even though you are timed and there is a winner),

Would I do another Ride It event ? You betcha - 100 miler in Milton Keynes next year !

Cunning Plans

In some better news, I've started running again and from a 1 mile start, have managed to work my way up to nearly four miles in just a few weeks. To aid recovery, I've taken to walking a good way before I start into any sort of run and this seems to be working well. The plan is to reduce this walk week by week, to the point where I can just run straight from the house of an evening. The Percy Pud 10k has been entered as the comeback race on December 2nd, and I'll be posting my entry for the Stockport 10 the Sunday after shortly.

My cycling is getting back up to scratch thanks to the weekly club runs, and the plan is to continue this up until Xmas. Then during the Winter training rides in January, I intend to muller myself week in week out to ride with the fastest club ride.

Swimming is also going to plan with a club session every Wednesday resulting in c.1900m, but I need to double up by going to the pool at weekends really.

Despite spending so much time training, I've clearly still got too much time on my hands as I've spent a lot of time over the past few weeks pondering on what I would like to do over the next couple of years, and have come to the following conclusions :

- Once Lanza & Outlaw have been completed next year, I will solely concentrate on 70.3/middle distance races as they are easier to train for and I feel they are my best distance. These will also be flatter races because to be fair I'm no climber and I don't think I ever will be !

- Time trialling - I've decided to do a lot more of these as I enjoy them so much (except restricted gear which I won't be doing again in a hurry !)

- A big challenge ride - LEJOG or London to Paris - I really like the idea of this and will be working on sorting something out for possibly 2014.

There you have it, some cunning plans indeed.... I hope they come to fruition !

Enforced lay off...

So following my exploits at the Relays where I failed to get out on the run, I have had to take a back seat and try and let my calf repair.

There's some damage deep within the muscle and I'm hoping that its not going to keep me out of action for too long. I started to cycle the commute again this week, and also swam for 30 minutes on Wednesday evening with no reaction bar a little stiffness. The big test will come tomorrow I'm sure as I venture out with Lincoln Wheelers for a steady 40 mile ride.

Gutted to have had to cancel 3 races this month, but after 4 years of racing with little injury and little time off, maybe this is a break that I really needed and will do me good!

Plan to start running again with light jogging in a further three weeks as need to give things time to repair.
Until then.....

National Club Relays

Over before it began....

That is really my take on how this years Relay Championships went for me ! It was the third year in a row that I had competed in this event, and the second year in a row that I had teamed up with AJ, John and Mark - last years Horny Imps and this years newly named Imps return. In last years event we had finished in 4 hours and 9 minutes and had finished (albeit top) of the last page of results - this year we were a year older and a little faster so aimed to at least improve on last years rank.

Perfect conditions greeted us at Holme Pierrepont  (National Water Sports Centre and home of the Outlaw !) with little wind and overcast conditions. The previous days racing had seen a deluge and had nearly seen the event cancelled so we could count ourselves as very lucky ! We had plenty of time to get prepared, and the whole Lincoln Tri area was a very relaxed place to be with lots of catching up going on.....

At just after 10.00am we all pretty much on mass made our way down to the start and organised ourselves by trying best we could to pick the best stops to hand over our relay elastic band. At about 10.15 the first wave of swimmers were off and I made my way to the barrier to take my place and wait for John to come flying out of the swim for a handover.

Swim 11.49

I received the elastic band from John, turned on my heels, took a few strides and the pop ! Pain in the left calf, and I literally hobbled and plopped into the water. I was a mixture of angry and panicked on that first leg and as a result blew up very early on. I also drifted off course towards the centre of the lake which meant I got no draft and ended up zig zagging a bit to the bouy. Turned the bouy, settled down, made sure I didn't kick and swam well back to the transition to hand the band over to Mark - who could see there was summat wrong as a limped toward him !
In terms of the time it was OK all things considered and much better than last years diabolical 12.30 swim. I made my way back to the Lincoln Tri tent and as I did came across a physio tent who popped some ice on my leg and asked me to come back for a proper look after the bike leg.

Bike 23.54

I am absolutely made up with the bike leg considering the injury that I carried. I was able to sit and spin my way round, and also got into a comfortable position on the straights to avoid too much fidgeting.
The drawbacks were that I had to remain seated , I had to remain in lower gears than I am used to as any pressure bought on pain, and I wasn't able to stand and power out of the corners as I like to do - so that time astounded me and gives me great heart of what might be next year after recovery and a good winters preparation with the Wheelers as I make the step up to A group riding.

Run 
Joking right - not a prayer !

AJ ran my leg and then his leg like a trojan to bring the team home in 3 hours 52 mins - an improvement of 17 minutes over last year and 111th place on the day - comfotably away from the last page of results !

My first DNF then technically, and an end to any immediate race plans. I will continue to swim and hopefully bike but running is out of the question - will check with the physio this week to confirm what I can and can't do ! Til next time .....

Ironman UK 2012 - race report

On Sunday 22nd July I competed in my second Ironman distance Triathlon at Ironman UK held in and around Bolton in Lancashire. I had been training hard over the past 7-8 months and was ready to go by the time we left lincoln on the Friday for the trip over to Bolton - this was is how my weekend went......

Pre-amble

Our journey took a little over 2 hours and we arrived at our hotel for the weekend in the early afternoon. Our digs of choice for the weekend was the Novotel @ South Manchester. The Receptionist made some reservation changes to keep our room away from the wedding function room which was very much appreciated. Hotel was OK as far as hotels with woodchip effect plaster walls go, but it was clean and best of all quiet !
Later in the afternoon, we made our way over to the Reebok Stadium to register and collect my race pack , transition bags, and importantly yet another Ironman goody bag - this time a mid size rucksack - to add to my collection that the missus refers to as 'hoarding' - tut !(Clearly you can never have enough IM bags !)
We stayed for the race briefing which was enjoyable - and then stayed longer for the Pasta party which was better than expected. In fact the whole weekend was beginning to feel more polished than I had thought, as I had some pre-conceptions of Bolton being a bit on the grim side ! Got back to the hotel feeling more positive and managed a decent nights sleep.

Saturday was spent packing the various transition bags with kit that I would need at differing stages of the race. Amongst things I forgot to pack were socks for both the run and the bike ! We would spend the rest of the day dropping bags and bike off at T1 (Pennington Flash) & at T2 (a school near Rivington). We also popped into Bolton to see the finish arch being erected and to convince Heidi that there was more to Bolton than a Greggs and a Cash Converters ! (In fact there were two Greggs so there !!!).
Planned on getting no sleep at all, but fell asleep during Casino Royale, so got a bonus 5 hours sleep !

Raceday


Got up at silly o clock and had a couple of porridge pots and a coffee to wake me up. Spent a good few minutes applying more layers of Riemanns P20 sun lotion. I then managed to completely cock up putting on the race number tattoo, when I forgot to remove the backing paper because I'm a tit !! After a bit more messing around checking stuff that clearly didn't need to be checked, we got in the car and made the shortish journey over to Pennington Flash where we turned up very early at c.4.40 am !  Pump the tyres, spend 20 minutes chasing around T1 to find a marshall with a marker pen to number me up. Finally with half an hour to go to the start I headed back to the car to get the wetsuit on to make my way down to the start.

Swim
Must have faffed around a little too long as I managed to get quite far back in the field waiting to get into the water, and I could see that there was no way the race was going to start on time, In fact, I think it was ten minutes late going off as people were still piling in and then having to swim over to the floating start area. I positioned myself towards the middle and eventually we were set on our way.
Lots of biff first off as people found their way to their natural positions in the swim, and lots of athletes aimlessly swimming across each other heading for who knows what. The swim was a triangular two lap affair, with big bright orange buoys marking each turn - so how these numpties were managing to zig zag so badly god only knows ! For my own efforts I felt really good and paced the first straight well. I began to drift out to the left of the field on the return leg back to the start and promised myself that I wouldn't go so wide on the next lap. Halfway done in c.41minutes as we exited the water for a short run section (more of a mudslide in truth as the ground was bogged by the time I got there !). Second lap, not gonna go wide, oops gone wide, not just wide but very wide. Took the opportunity to have a pee with no one else clearly around me and then doubly concentrated on keeping my line on the straight and narrow on the last couple of legs. Had some more biff with some more directionally challenged numpties, but all ok in the end. Exited the water in 1.28.43 for a new IM swim PB of a whole 31 seconds ! Seriously though, happy with swim, felt it was an honest distance, not sure it was as long as some have said (Garmins showing 2.90/99 miles). Felt good running up the long stretch to T1 and all going to plan.

T1
Seemed to take an age here with some of it taken up using the loo, some of it trying to dodge bodies and find a place to change, but mostly because I dally a bit. At 8.54 though, an improvement again over Austria, so getting better ?

Bike
This is more like it ! Straight down into the aero bars and passing lots of people on the stretch up to the loop.    Tried not too push it too hard, and kept myself occupied by counting the people that I passed, also remembering to net off the people that took me. After a good solid 16 miles , got to the bottom of the Sheep House Lane climb to start the first of three 31 mile loops which would complete the bike section. Took the first climb nice and easy and before I knew it I was already tear arsing down the descent at over 40 mph !! I knew there was a tightish left at the bottom from watching last years race so took a good line to make sure I didn't end up leaving the road and landing in the low level reservoir. The support in Belton was amazing when I got there and the good weather bringing out the crowds. I did feel a bit sick on the bike during the first loop, but reasoned that it must have been some dodgy flash water still left in my system.
First loop completed and back round for my second crack at Sheep House  ! I noticed that the sun was properly out by now and it was getting very warm. I sweated my way up the climb the second time and wished that there was more cloud cover. Great support again out on the bike course, and although baking, felt a little better as the Flash water seemed to have finally gone from my system. I was also still riding well, although the results show a drop from the first lap and continued to pass people. The 3rd lap again started with another trip up SHL which was a complete horrible slow grind from bottom to top as my legs were screaming every time I got out of the saddle. I was so pleased to get to the top I really was ! It was far too hot and I was cooking at this point on the bike. I lost a minute when the chain fell off the ring but that was the height of any event on the whole bike course. The support didn't die down all day and 'colt alley' was a joy to ride towards the end of each lap. I rolled into T2 in 6.40.39 which I was delighted with. (Austria had been 6.37 on smoother roads and with 600m less climbing !). I even managed a trot through transition once a helper had taken my bike..

T2 - because of my cleats on my shoes, did a penquin waddle in the sports hall, grabbed my bag and did a quick change. What made up the rest of the time of 4.25 was waiting for a portaloo before deciding to give up waiting and get myself out onto the run.

Run
It was very hot, but I still ran a very fast first mile knowing that my PB and potential aim of sub 12.30 was definately on ! Mile 2 slowed me down a bit but I was still going well albeit aware that something was not quite right. Walked through the first aid station and grabbed a portaloo, in which it became really clear that my hydration was in a bad place. I took some more water and then got on with my marathon best I could. The run route into Bolton takes you along a river via a tow path and it was on this section with no shade that I really began to suffer. I started taking 20s walk breaks to see if that helped, but these became longer and longer and by the time I got to mile six I was done. I had no energy and was subjected to walking up a long climb to get onto the New Chorley Road. My nutrition going wrong is something I hadn't experienced before and I didn't know how to put it right. I made sure I took long walk breaks, and was selective about what I took from the aid stations, even trying ritz crackers. I could see that I was not alone, there were lots of people around me suffering in their own way with the heat and doing the best they could to get on with it. First time that I saw Heidi I fessed up that it was going to be a long day and that I was sorry. At this point I still had three loops of the run course left to do which is around 18 miles. I needed a plan and I needed one quickly cos the walking was getting stupidly long.
I decided on a walk run cone counting strategy in a genius attempt of trying to fool myself into getting going again.........and it worked ! Right, walk two cones (approx 20m), run 10 cones (approx 100m!).
This strategy got me through a further one and a half laps before I bumped into a great bloke called Paul from TriTalk who had a knackered Achilles but was still aiming to finish best he could. Between us we cone counted the rest of the Marathon, albeit going from a 2-10 strategy to a 4-7 shuffle but the most important thing was that we got there and I had really good company on those last two laps ! It didn't matter that we were counting the cones aloud as we passed them, or that we lost count in the confusion - we got the job done ! 5.14.03 for the run.



13.36.44 for my second Ironman, and though it didn't go to plan, I was proud of the way I stuck at it and ground out a result. I finished in the top half of all finishers so at least I did meet one of my goals for the day in the end. Oh, and WOW, Bolton, what a surprise ! I expected it to be a bit low key and grim, but it was a brilliant venue with brilliant spectators - I have been buzzing for days afterward.

What's next ? I'm booked for Ironman Lanzarote in May of next year (that will be interesting with the Sun and all that heat again) and then Outlaw at Nottingham in June. Right now, I'm not planning any IM's past those dates.

For the rest of the year, apart from the odd Tri, I'll be mostly trying to improve my run speed and having a go at a few more time trials !

Been busy......

Well, its now just over two weeks until this years big event. I've completed 28 weeks of Don Finks 'Be Ironfit' training plan and complete full or near full distances during the last few peak weeks. The next two weeks training are going to be taper weeks which will see a reduction in the volumes so that I erm reach race day in tip top condition..........hopefully !

Training has gone well in all, although I've had a few niggles along the way which I've had to manage. This year has been much easier physically, as I came into the plan already running 10m races and therefore run fit, and also cycle fit from Sunday morning club runs. What has been tough has been the mental side of things where it has been harder this year to keep motivated - whether or not this has anything to do with the gloomy weather I don't know. I have made the decision that for Ironman Lanzarote next May, I won't be using the whole 30 week plan and will just use the last ten weeks - that should help keep the old motivation up !

Target for Bolton is simple - work hard, keep calm and try and go faster in each discipline - overall target is to beat last years time of 12.51 - with going sub 12.30 being the goal for the day !

I'll next update with how I got on...

Ironman UK 70.3 race report

The toughest Triathlon that I have ever completed - a beautiful torture if I can describe it as such. On Sunday, I managed to complete the half ironman at Wimbleball  - described as the hardest 70.3 in the world by some bloke who knows more than I do - this is my report.....

Pre-race
Arrived in Somerset on Friday and made our way straight to the lake to register. Local Rotary Mafia mugged us for a tenner for parking, however, it didn't seem muddy and I thought that the tales of mudbaths in previous years were exaggerated. Registration was quick, expo looked a bit like a bad village fate ! Drove from the lake an hour to get to our lodgings at Cullompton in Devon - saw the town and realised I'd forgotten my banjo and rocking chair...

Day before.. 
Wet and very windy, we made our way back to the lake, this time going via Haddon Hill and getting to see some of the lumps I'd be riding up - not bad, but I'm in a car, might be a bit tougher on the bike. We were making good time as well, but as soon as we got near the lake... traffic chaos and an hour queue to get in.... complete mudbath causing this, as well as the Mafia getting their money with menaces ! Racked the bike in Glastonburyesque transition area and told not to cover my pride and joy because it was too windy. Went to pre race briefing and had to listen to the rain peeing down all over my baby. Listened to the meat of the briefing before legging it toward the end to ensure a quick getaway. Some were held up two hours leaving the car park....organisers...party....brewery ?

Raceday
Weather did a complete U-ey, and it was calm and almost sunny as we headed down to the lake. The pros and the young uns went off at a delayed 7.15 (that brewery again and even longer delays for car parking) . The 40+ fogies made our way into the water for a 7.30 start. No klaxon, no gun, everyone just started swimming so I sheeped up and cracked on with it. I couldn't see the first buoy so generally tried to swim in the same direction as everybody else. I didn't start too fast and tried to keep a good technique. There was little biff over than a clash of hands occasionally, and I managed to narrowly avoid breaststroking kick to the face, just the shoulder as we made our way around the first buoy. The remainder of the swim went well, the markers were easy to see , I felt confident as I got out of the water of a 35min swim, casual glance of the watch... 42 something WTF ???? and the swim was a little short apparently.. 


T1 - 7.58 - A bit of a dizzy run up the hill into transition tent, all of us looking like wipeout contestants ! Grabbed bag, sat down and then took my time, hoping my senses would return. Out into the mud, doing a penguin waddle in the bike shoes trying not to get mud in the cleats ! Not a bad time considering....


Bike
Straight out of transition, and run the bike past people falling over at the mount line. Climb the first rise in the small ring, and then change up for the flatter section that follows, then further hill, no probs, will just change down into small ring again.......oops that didn't work..damn LBS had supposedly fixed that last week.. OK so now lets see if I can kick it down...worked but scared too do this too many times so decided to ride the first half of the course in the big ring, then heel kick it down into the small ring for the hillier second half of the course - this worked fine initially, but there were still climbs on the first half that I could have done with taking   a little easier ! Enjoyed the first half of the course and got some good aero speed down in the bars. Thought the first climb was coming up at the bottom of the first long descent and changed down only to find that it was a fair few miles before it started - bad error and should have driven the course, but it was what it was ! First time up 'pylon hill' not too bad, and didn't seem too long. Made my way round the second half of the course OK, with the toughest climb being the rolling 14% job on the way to Haddon Hill. Got about 5 miles from the end of the first lap when Phil Graves came tear arseing past at the fastest speed I have seen anyone on a bike. It was a further 15 minutes and then some before 2nd place blokey came past. First lap done in about 1.48, and now time to really put the hammer down on the 2nd lap....yeah right..... to be fair, the speed remained similar, but those climbs became like treacle as I ground my way up them for the 2nd time with plenty of people choosing to walk them, and me swearing my way up ! Happy to get back into transition in a bike time of 3.37 - the hardest, hilliest ride of my life ! 


T2 - 3.55 - Seemed a lot longer than that, and included a lavvy stop, so can't beat myself up too much....


Run
Straight out of transition, and immediately apparent that I'm just running up and down around a lumpy field and not the nice flat tarmac I'm used too. This is hard, but also a good challenge and the first mile was dispatched in 7.50 something - maybe this will be quick I got to thinking and then promptly took that back as I hit 'concrete mountain' which seemed to up and up for ever and not the final 10 metres that they show on TV. Legs recovered enough for the downhill, and then really enjoyed the flat part across the dam with its stunning scenery ! Plenty of tough trail type running followed all of it either up or down, but I seemed to be coping with it and my recent injury didn't flare up. Walked the aid stations eventually as the first couple ended with me pouring cups of water down me but not in me.


Began to feel tired of all the climbing on the second lap and was not pleasant swallowing so many flies down by the lakes edge. By the third time up concrete mountain, I was the only one running it albeit as a very camp,slow motion, Peter Kay way to Amarillo kind of way ! 2.00 almost bob on for the run, and a finishing time of 6.32 for the whole thing....mid table mediocrity and my best WTC event finish so far... the mission completed and plenty of practice for Bolton in five weeks time.


In all.... yep, the pre race queuing, delays and the like are annoying, how much of that is down to the restrictions of the venue, and how much the organisers I can't say. The course is tough but also fantastic. Last night I went to bed saying I wouldn't want to do Wimbleball again. This morning though different story......

Woodhall Spa Triathlon

I know it as the 'home of Triathlon' and others may disagree with that, but this for me was where it all started in 2009 and this Triathlon holds a special place in my heart.... and its always sunny !..............

Apart from today it would seem, as from the moment I got up I could hear the pitter patter of rain on the conservatory roof, and the forecast confirmed that it would be a blanket of rain for the entire day ! Still, onwards and upwards, and I loaded up the car nice and early to make my way to the venue - Jubilee Park at Woodhall Spa. After negotiating a diversion, I arrived plenty early but found that the usual car parks were already full, which meant a trip to the overflow car park located on the run route. Once registered and in receipt of another fab technical t-shirt I returned to the car to get my bike and other bits - this was a good walk and I used it as a warm up as I was getting very cold and very wet - in fact it was a relief to get in the pool when the start time came around a short half hour later, as the heated outdoor pool had steam coming off the surface and it was a beautiful warm temperature!

I could have sat there all day, but all too soon, I was being counted down and I was off !

Swim 8.39
Unlike at Southwell, there was no traffic as I pushed away from the wall for the first time and I was able to enjoy a smooth first couple of lengths. It was fast though, and the inevitable slow down came over the next few lengths, until my breathing and stroke rate settled down. I really enjoy the swim here and todays time of 8.39 was nearly a minute better than my personal best set in last years race.

T1 1.29
I have been getting precious about slow transitions like this one recently, but today being wet, cold, and muddy meant that some time and care had to be taken - so I'll not beat myself up!

Bike 42.34
I've invested some cash in a silly pointy helmet, and whilst its not the most comfortable of things to wear - especially when it was bending down both my ears, it certainly feels more aerodynamic, and as a result I really felt that I was flying, even though the race conditions were treacherous and there were big pools of standing water everywhere. I was flying past people, and riding quicker than I have ever ridden, and really enjoying it ! I did wonder if I was overcooking things, but thought nah, just crack on!  Once the first half of the course is done (which includes the long deceptive inclines), there is a really fast second half and today with a little backwind I was holding 30mph in parts quite comfortably ! I arrived back in T2 in 42.34 which was over four minutes faster than last year - booooom !!! Maybe there was something in that little pointy hat....

T2 1.08
OK could have sharpened that up a bit but couldn't feel my feet, they were numb from the cold!

Run 20.40
So, couldn't feel my feet, calf guards heavy with water, and reduced speed in training due to my niggling bum injury - got to say as I headed out onto the run course I wasn't holding much hope for the run, but I just kept working as hard as I could and as I got my legs working, I somehow managed to get my legs working enough to knock out a 6.47 first mile ! The second mile came and went in 7.07 and I knew that I was in for a good time if I could keep it up ! We were soon back onto the footpath that runs along the main road and the last mile was spent dodging the huge puddles that had formed (I don't know why though cos I was wet enough in any case !) and attempting to overtake the chap in front. I kept up my 100% record of losing every sprint finish I've ever attempted, but overjoyed to cross the finish line in 1.14.31 and inside my target of 1.15 that I had set myself.

A good days work then in terrible conditions and a personal best finishing of 61st place to boot ! This meant that I finished 5th in my age group over the 3 races that make up the Midlands Triathlon Series.

That was my last Sprint Tri of the season (I think), as in two weeks time I head for Wimbleball in Exmoor to compete in the UK Ironman 70.3 race - I can't wait !

Norwich 100

Today, I got up extremely mega early to make the 106 mile journey by car to Norwich to take part in the Norwich 100 mile bike ride put on by the British Heart Foundation as a charity fundraiser.
It was a baking hot day from the off, and I made sure that I covered myself with 'never fail' P20 sun lotion!
I found Norwich Cathedral easily enough, but cut my last toilet stop a little fine, so started 5 minutes later than my allotted start time of 7.15am.

The ride can be summed up in three parts :

0-43 miles - Part of the largest peleton I have ever ridden with. It was impossible to ride on my own, and to be fair there was a fair bit of giddyness on the part of my some of my fellow competitors, so the pace was kept strong at 17.9mph average. The heat didn't seem to be affecting me, and I felt good. There were no real climbs of note, just some pesky rises to negotiate every now and then. I rode with Great Yarmouth CC for most part 'the dappies' as I called them (they were sponsored by dap).

43-71 miles - At 43 miles we pulled into the halfway compulsory 30 minute stop which was annoying as I was riding well. Once I had served this 'time penalty' it was back onto the road, where I ended up in a tit for tat overtaking exchange with some Texans for 10 miles, and the caught up with another group of dappies which I settled into. At about 69 miles, I started taking turns at the front, but by 71 I had accidentally pulled away from the front of the gang and disappeared up the road. This section took in Norfolks seaside resorts and Cromer looked really inviting !

71-100 miles - I managed to spend at least 60% of my time down on the tri bars and each time I did, the speed ramped up and the average overall had a good boost. I took it in turns with another rider as we formed a two man attack, making sure we overtook the shorter route riders who had merged onto the course. I still felt really good as we arrived back into the Cathedral grounds.

Overall ride time 5.29.32 excluding the 30 minute stop - so very very pleased with that, and to get my second century ride in for the year. Next up is Woodhall Tri next Sunday........

Southwell Triathlon

Booooom !!! 1.02.22 !!!

After riding 66 miles in total yesterday, I didn't honestly think that I would be quite fit enough today to put in a performance that I would be happy with, but against the odds I managed to pull a bit of a rabbit out of a hat - this is how it happened :

Swim - 9.53.... Got in the pool for my start time of 9.42 and whilst I waited the minute before setting off, two breaststrokers managed to turn in front of me and that made for a slower than usual first 8 lengths, I suppose though that the slower pace put paid to my usual giddiness at swim starts so may have benefited me. The second 8 lengths were swam at a sensible pace concentrating on quality of stroke and breathing. Hauled myself out of the pool gracelessly in 9.01 and it was 9.53 when I went over the timing mat and into T1. Had I not had traffic in the first half of the swim, it could have been a PB swim, but hopefully that will come together at Woodhall.

T1 - 1.07...A first attempt at a sockless transition and using the elastic band trick - both have worked well and this saved 45 seconds from my Lincoln Triathlon time a few weeks ago, so more than happy !

Bike - 30.24....There was a headwind all the way to Lowdham roundabout and I just got my head down and drilled it as fast as I could knowing there would be a back wind on the way back !  Round the roundabout I went, and then wow, a great little strectch of road, an assisting wind and holding 27mph comfortably !
Legs felt a little tired going up the rolling sections on the way back to Southwell , but in the end pleased to get back into T2 in a time that was 4 minutes quicker than last years.

T2 - 0.48...great little transition, helped by no socks and a healthy portion of talcum powder !

Run - 20.10...My first sockless run, and hell it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be, in fact I could almost not tell at all. I thought that when I hit the slope for the first time my legs might give up the ghost, but no - I felt really strong and attacked it all the way up. In fact my running held up really well and I was again pleased to improve by nearly three minutes on last years time !

In all then, a fantastic day at Southwell, and a great weekend overall !

Lincoln Grand Prix Sportive

I took part in the Lincoln Grand Prix Sportive for the second year running today which was supposed to be a training exercise with Southwell Triathlon to tackle tomorrow morning......the plan was simple...draft my way round 56 miles, not ride too hard and make sure my legs were in good working order at the end...how could such a plan fail... impossible ????

Well for a start there were roadworks which meant that the course was lengthened by 8 miles to 63 miles - good start !

I met my friends at Registration at 8.30 and it literally took seconds to sign in, receive my freebies and then get the days timing chip -  a far cry from last years meltdown which took the good part of an hour ! At around 9.00 we were ready to head off onto the course in the cold sunshine ! From the off, there was a lot of people getting a bit giddy and as a result I found we were being swept along at a faster pace than I suspected we were going to be riding at. We were however, meeting lots of people and gaining some draft along the way, so not all bad. The first hour came and went very quickly as we made good progress and once past Bardney we found that the inclines didn't cause us too much problems either. I did make the mistake of stopping for a pee break and then having to chase down the pack over the next four miles - this did not help things and I could feel my legs creaking by the time I had finished my effort and got back to the group.

We reached halfway in good time - 1.53 something - and yes, they had the same rocky road as at Rutland and I filled my boots again thank you very muchly ! 

The second half of the race was a lot tougher, due to the work done in the first half, and also because we caught a Wheelers group - this was bad news as I could no longer spend long periods drafting and felt that I should do some work - so do some work I did and put in some good long stretches off the front. This again did not help the old legs, but hey ho, I was enjoying setting the pace and testing the other guys. 

There was just one climb of note at Scampton which I just nailed as fast as I could, and then it was straight into Lincoln for the famous Michaelgate cobbled climb ! Last year, I had to get off and walk the last part of the hill, but not this year, I gave it everything and was loving the applause and cheering from the spectators at the side of the road up the climb and rode it right to the top!

Overall time for the day - 4.06 - not bad for what was to be a training ride when we first set off , and 70th of 261 finishers on the day. Now where did I put that Ibuprofen cream ???

Rutland CICLE Sportive Sportive 100m

Last year I went to Ironman having ridden a maximum distance of 82 miles in training - which was something that I wanted to put right for this year. This sportive takes place in and around Rutland - the same area that I raced at Dambuster triathlon- so I knew that it would be good ideal hilly training for me.
I arrived early for registration having noted the pigs ear of registration that the organisers made at last years Lincoln Grand Prix - but I shouldn't have bothered as it was seamless in and out to collect my race number for the bike and before I knew it I had ridden under the start arch and was on my way ! How quick was that !
The weather forecast had said the day before that the outlook was dry all day, so I was looking forward for a dry ride - how wrong was I ???
One we had started, it stayed dry for at least the first couple of miles and then it started to spit a little, then it started to drizzle and then it just rained.....and rained....and rained....oh and it was windy too.
I enjoyed the first 40 miles or so because I was riding well, and hopping inbetween some groups from time to time as well as riding on my own. I liked having the choice and felt like I was making progress. At about 40 miles the groups had fractured according to different paces and once I had stopped to put my rain jacket on, that was it, I rode solely on my own with the odd exchange of conversation should I pass or be passed.
The route was lumpy with a couple of long drags and a few short sharp hills, but nothing that I couldn't negotiate with a bit of hard work.
Halfway round I knew the time was going to be on the slow side, but made sure to break the ride down into half hour segments, and aiming to add 8 miles for each of these.
I didn't stop very long at the aid stations and this was just to cram as much rocky road into my mouth as I could !
I passed the last of these at about 86 miles and knew that I was going to get round under my revised target of 7 hours ( 6.15 being the target I set out with !!!)
6.53.56 it took me in total and I worked out that I finished 62nd out of 203 finishers, so I figure not as bad a performance on the day as I had told myself.

Lincoln Wheelers 75'' Restricted Gear Time Trial

This past Tuesday gone, I had another opportunity to ride a time trial with Lincoln Wheelers and ride the same 7.7 mile course that I rode my first time trial on back on Boxing Day.
On that occasion I rode 21.41 or thereabouts, but did have the use of all of my gears. This ride was a little different as I was restricted to only being able to use one gear, which was about the halfway through my top set of gears.
.....and boy was it hard !
I managed to scream my way around the course and totally fry my legs in a time of 20.17 - a PB from Boxing Day so happy with that, but this short sharp stuff really hurts my legs and Thursdays long run was painful.
That being said I do enjoy time trialling so will return for some more later in the year !

David Lloyd Lincoln Triathlon

Today saw me start my fourth season of triathlon with a very short trip to the David Lloyd Health Club at Burton Waters near Lincoln for my very first attempt at my local triathlon.

This event is normally held in July which has meant that I have been unable in previous years to enter it, but alas no excuses this year, and I duly rocked up to registration very early, to make sure that I got the unfamiliar lay out well scouted !

After catching up with friends from Lincoln Tri, I was all set to go, and made my way to poolside for my 9.02 start time - this was my race :

Swim 9.00

This year I've been spending Wednesday evenings at the club sessions in an attempt to finally nail the swim discipline. My swim is very much a work in progress at the moment, but I thought I could maybe sneak under the nine minute mark today - that was until two things happened !! First, I went off like a train for the first two lengths with no technique or breathing, and then as I had completed my 16 lengths, managed to get my footing all wrong on the wet floor and went sprawling ! Apart from the fall, and the first two lengths though, I was pleased with the rest of the swim and delighted to be bang on 9 minutes.

T1 - 1.48

I'm not quite sure what I was doing or thinking in T1, but managed to take an age in T1 putting on socks and kit that I possibly did not need ! As the weather warms, I will be looking to improve on this big time.

Bike - 43.36

My cycling speed has come on leaps and bounds since I've been riding with Lincoln Wheelers and my recent time trial results have looked promising. Todays bike course was 14.78 miles with a bugger of a hill thrown in at Burton, which I had made sure to practice a couple of times recently. Today, I had no problems with it as I attacked it from the off ! I knew that when I got to the top, bar a couple of mild undulations, then the rest of the course was flat. I managed to hold a good pace all the way around, and then benefitted from a good backwind on the A57 to get back into transition with an avarage speed of 20.4mph.

T2 - 1.03 - Bit disappointed to be over the minute, but this will improve when I learn the 'elastic band' trick !

Run 21.58

My PB for 5km stands at 22.25 from Conkers Parkrun in February, and I wanted to be around that time today on what I thought was going to be a slightly short course, however I ran very well and had a 6.56 first mile pace. I kept going with a 7.07 second mile as I slotted myself nicely onto the shoulder of another competitor - we then traded positions in a fast final mile on a true 5k course for an unofficial distance PB of 21.58 - delighted, obviously.

My best triathlon performance to date, and beat my goals into the bargain - a really good day ! 

MK Codebreaker Sportive 100km

It was this past Bank Holiday Monday (9/4) that I made the two hour trip down to Milton Keynes for Race Timing Systems 100 kilometre Sportive around Milton Keynes.

I did this event last year in preparation for my Ironman, and really enjoyed it. I remember it being a decent sunny day in parts and very busy - I also managed to average above 16mph and recorded a time of 3.51.39 and it was that time that I was aiming to beat as I arrived at the Tattenhoe Sports Pavillion H.Q.

The weather was cold and wet, and as I pulled up I could see that there were a lot of entrants that had made the decision to stay in bed - this meant that I was one of just 68 that actually turned up to complete the event.

Once I had registered and collected my free gillet, I was set on my way 9.07. Within the first mile, I was grateful that I had decided to wear my waterproof jacket because the rain was really heavy. I also noticed just how quiet it was as there was nobody overtaking me as there had been last year and I also felt that I was riding faster. The first 10km came and went, and before I knew it I turned right, and into the hardest climb of the day - Great Brickhill ! Now, last year, I struggled up this multi layered climb, but to be honest, this year, it was a lot kinder and the recent Grimpeur ride has really helped with my climbing.

Newton Blossomville marked about halfway on the course and as I rode through there I reflected on just how well I thought I had ridden the first half of the loop in what were apalling conditions - however, I soon turned into a headwind, and the second half of the course became a painful slog as the cold bit through my legs and the rain never stopped. I didn't let up with the effort though and all the way round beleived that I could sneak under last years time.

It was not to be though as firstly 3.51 came and went, and then the 4 hr time flashed by. One last push later though, and I was over the line in 4.01.39 - exactly 10 mins slower than last year.

In all then, I rode better but one the day the condions had me. I plan to return next year for another bite !

Lincoln Wheelers 5m Time Trial

Lincoln Wheelers run a March/April series of 5 mile time trials and following my appearance at the 8 miler held on Boxing Day, I rocked up to the first time trial of the three race series last Tuesday for another go.

Once I had registered in the car park of the pub in Auborn, pinned my number to the back of my Tri suit, and then ridden out couple of miles to the start at Bassingham, I was ready to go !

I was number 26, so it was 6.56 by the time I got going !

The course is very fast and it didn't seem very long at all before I was teetering around the dusty first turn and heading away from Carlton Le Moorland - in fact I was riding really well and didn't seem to have a problem holding 25mph for the first time in my life. When the legs felt tired, I dropped a gear and then pushed it back up when I felt good. I also caught the person who started a minute in front of me by the time I made the last turn of the course onto Brant Road.

From there, it was a 2 mile smashfest and I gave it everything I had until I passed the finish line in a time of 12.48 ! Good enough for 8th Wheeler on the night, and I left with a huge smile on my face !

Lincoln 10k

Today was my fourth running of the City Of Lincoln 10k, having started my running journey training for my first one in 2009. On that occasion I managed to post a 1.03.27 finish time which placed me 3357th of the 5000 runners who rock up for this event annually.

We are having somewhat of a warm spell at the moment and although it was a cold start with the clocks going foward overnight, I could tell that it was going to hot up quite quickly so elected to run without a base layer for the first time since October. This turned out to be the right choice as just from walking from our parking spot on Lee Road, it became apparent that it was going to be scorchio for the time of year.

After a good half an hour at Yarborough Leisure Centre warming up, using the facilities and watching the zumba warm up, I headed for the start and my place in the red sub 50 box. It did not seem as congested this year in this box as I seeded myself towards the back.

At 11.00am almost on the dot we were started and we were underway. My plan of attack for todays race was to hold a 7.30 pace all the way round until mile 5 and then have a look what was left in the tank. I found the first mile tough going as I felt that it was too overcrowded and I was getting held up by slower runners - next year I think I'll seed myself maybe 10 metres nearer the front. The first mile beeped up on the Garmin at 7.33 and although a little slower than target, did not concern me because I felt good and if anything knew that I could increase the pace a little.

Mile 2 was still far too congested, and gain although comfortable, by the time I had dodged people going down Nettleham Road, I found that I had posted a 7.28 mile split ! Thankfully though as we headed up Newport, and along Yarborough Crescent the race began to string out a little bit and I managed the fastest mile of the race so far in something like 7.17. i was now enjoying the race after the earlier argy bargy, and still felt really good. Both miles 4 and 5 were something like 7.20 pace which meant that I was on for a big personal best time if I could just keep it going for the last mile or so.

It was definately tougher heading back up Nettleham Road for the last time, but a sensible pace was maintained until I was safely around the Cathedral turn and then it was as fast as I could across the cobbles and into the castle for a grandstand finish.

45.53 and a 2 min PB ! Three years ago I could not have dreamt of running so quickly so I am over the moon with the progress that has been achieved. Next challenge for me is the Lincoln Wheelers 5m time trial on Tuesday.

Stapleford Duathlon + a catch up !

It was yesterday morning that I had a go at my second duathlon - this one being put on by Lincoln Tri as part of a series of Duathlons spread across the year.

Whilst not overly impressed with my finishing position of tenth on this occasion, I was happy with the time of 51.18 which compared well to some of last years finishing times from athletes I didn't think I would ever get near too, so mixed feelings about this one !

Run 1 12.55 (3k) - the runs for this event were on paths leading through and then around Stapleford Woods - a near out and back course. From the off I felt very good and managed to post a 6.40 first mile which was far too quick on one hand, but the fastest I've ever run on the other. I started to peter out on the way back though, but managed to keep the pace at 6.55 to complete the first run under 13 minutes.

Bike - 24.50 (13k) - the Planet X deep rim tub is now on the back and I'm still not sure if this is any quicker. On the day, I felt very quick and the speedo was telling me that I avaeraged 19.7mph but not sure how true this really was. I managed to overtake three people on the bike course so rode well, but think I could have gone faster.

Run 13.34 (3k) - the second run consisted of my jelly legs trying to keep with my earlier run pace but failing me slightly ! My mile split said 7.01 which was still fast but again need to play around with the Garmin to be sure. Overall, a good training morning, and pleased with the early season speed. My first Triathlon of the season is on 22 April, so just five more weeks to gets things right.

The catch up !
I'm now on week 13 of my Ironman training plan and things are going nicely. My swimming is coming on fine having taken advantage of Wednesday night club coaching. I have been slow to start a 2nd swim session though at the local pool and need to address that this week !
My running continues to improve and my distances are at 8-11 miles on a Tuesday and 6 miles on a Friday. My cycling is the great impover though as being a member of Lincoln Wheelers has opened up regular long rides, time trialling and even chaingang rides - this is where I have spent the majority of my time.

Conkers Parkrun

Yesterday morning, myself and 11 other hardy souls from UK Netrunner made the trip to Conkers Park in Derbyshire to take part in the Conkers Parkrun.

The weather was reasonably windy, and there was a good chance that we might get caught in the band of rain that was sweeping across the country during the mid to late morning.

It was certainly darkly overcast as we lined up for the 9.00 start. After a brief hold up for technical issues - I think the electronic timing was low on charge - we were sent off on our way.

It was hard initially to settle into any target pace as initially there was a little bit of a climb to deal with, but after this there is a gradual decline which meant that the whole field could settle into things. My first mile finished then in around 7.02 which was where I wanted to be if I was going to get near my PB of 22.41 set in November. The second mile was more of a struggle as we left the straight path that we were following, and made a loop by a canal which also took in another climb - the second mile then 7.24.

Going into the final mile, my breathing was hard and I was putting in a real effort - I made up three of four places here, but was hanging onto the shoulder of the lad in front of me for dear life ! Mile 3 completed in 7.26, meaning then I just had the sprint finish for the last 0.1 mile to negate - which I managed, to finish in a time of 22.25 - a 16 second PB for a 5km race.

I enjoyed this Parkrun, as the course was in much better state than my usual one, and the marshalls did a fantastic job ! It was also great to meet up with so many Netrunners !

Goals for 2012

We are a good five weeks into 2012 already and training for my second Ironman has been going well so far, having already finished six weeks of preparation of a thirty week plan.



I have so far raced my first time trial and did OK, and finished a 12k race in Stratford which saw a ten minute improvement on last years time ! My cycling has improved as I've started going out with the B group on Sunday mornings Wheelers club rides and I'm investing Wednesday evenings and travelling to Cranwell for some swim coaching finally after three seasons of floundering in the water !



Last January I laid down some goals on this blog which ranged from target times in Triathlons, to losing weight , to joining club rides and I'm happy to say that I beat them all eventually !

This year then, lets set some more goals so that I've got some milestones to aim for in each discipline.....

Swimming
- 8:xx in each sprint (Lincoln, Southwell, Woodhall)
- IM sub 1.20

Running
- 5km in sub 21 mins
- 10km in sub 45 mins
- Marathon in sub 4hrs
- Finish top 5 in UKnetrunner Grand Prix

Cycling
- top 5 finish in a time trial

Triathlon
- Top 100 finish at Woodhall
- Top half of the field finishes at 70.3 & Ironman UK

Weight
- get to 76.0 kg which will take me into the eleven stone range

That's ten targets for 2012 which are sensible yet stretching - it will be interesting to see how many of those I can achieve before my season ends.

Not The Roman IX (12km)

Well, here it is already - the start of the 2012 season, which meant a 1.40 drive down to Stratford Upon Avon on a freezing but sunny day to compete in my first race of the season - the ' Not The Roman IX', which is a 12km race put on by Stratford Upon Avon Running Club.



This was also the date of the UK Netrunner AGM, so there were a good 25 of my clubmates also entered into the race and competing for a 'handicap' trophy. My estimated finishing time had been calculated at 57.52 so I would have to be going some to win that !



We collected our timing chips and race numbers from the registration area and then after a warm up, made our way to the start which is about a kilometre away. I made my way to the centre of the field and found myself slap bang in the centre of a herd of netrunners !

We were sent on our way a little after 11am. My race plan was to run the first 10km in 49mins, which is just over a minute over my PB, and then run as fast as I could over the remaining 2km - which meant that I would have to run at a pace of 4.54m per km.

This was not a problem for the first five kilometres as although cold, the conditions were perfect and I found myself keeping the kilo splits within 4.54. At the start of mile five though there is a climb which is long and slow going and it was this that seriously ate into the good ground that I had made up in the prededing kilometres. However, once over the brow of the hill the course is then fast fast fast for a good while as you make your way downhill - it was here that I then made up some good time.

The rest of the course remains flattish until the 10km mark, and a negative split for the first 10km definately occurred as I passed through in 47.55 (just 11 secs outside my 10k PB!).

The course then has a climb in the 11th kilometre but this is not as long or severe as the mid point climb and as a result of this I still had something left in the legs for a good final kilometre.

I managed to finish in 57.24 , a 10 minute improvement on last year, and a good top half of the field finish in a competitive club race.